GB2236502A

GB2236502A - Plasterer's trowel

Info

Publication number: GB2236502A
Application number: GB9020275A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Geoffrey Betts
Original assignee: Betts & Sons Ltd
Current assignee: Betts & Sons Ltd
Priority date: 1989-10-09
Filing date: 1990-09-17
Publication date: 1991-04-10
Anticipated expiration: 2010-09-17
Also published as: GB9020275D0; GB8922688D0; GB2236502B

Abstract

A method of making a plasterer's trowel includes the steps of welding a plurality of upstanding studs (16) on one side of a steel blade element (10) and subsequently securing a plastics material handle (14) to the blade element by a force fit of handle elements (24) over the studs, with a metal reinforcement element (12) sandwiched between the blade (10) and handle (14). <IMAGE>

Description

Plasterer's trowel.

The invention relates to plasterer's trowels and to a method of making them.

It is known to manufacture a plasterer's trowel by a method involving the welding of a plurality of upstanding studs on one side of a steel blade element, a handle subsequently being secured to the blade element by means of said studs. For example, an all metal handle has been secured to the blade element by riveting over the free ends of the studs. However, an all metal handle is cold to the touch and it not generally as comfortable to use as a tool with a plastics handle. The problem is that a plastics handle secured to the blade element of a plasterer's trowel could not be expected to stiffen the blade element sufficiently and it is essential that the blade element of a plasterer's trowel should remain stiff and flat when in use.

The invention has for its object to provide a plasterer's trowel with a plastics handle, and to a method of making such a tool, in which the problem referred to has been at least alleviated.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of making a plasterer's trowel, the method including the steps of welding a plurality of upstanding studs at controlled spacing on one side of a steel blade element; the moulding of a plastics handle with a plurality of holes at the spacing of the studs; the forming of a metal reinforcement element with clearance holes for said studs at the spacing of said studs; and the uniting of the steel blade element with the synthetic plastics handle, with the metal reinforcement element sandwiched between them, by the force fitting of the studs into the holes of said plastics handle.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a plasterer's trowel including a steel blade element, a metal reinforcement element and a synthetic plastics handle, the steel blade element having a plurality of upstanding metal studs welded to it and the plastics handle being formed with a series of holes matching the spacing of the studs of the blade element, the steel blade element having been united with the synthetic plastics handle, with the metal reinforcement element sandwiched between them, by the studs having been force fitted into the holes of said handle. The metal reinforcement element will preferably have been made from a length of extruded channel section material and in this case a major length of an adaptor part of the handle may be a snug fit between the upstanding side flanges of the channel section.At the opposite ends of the adaptor part of the handle there will preferably be integral formations which coincide with the overall width dimension of the channel section reinforcement element.

In order that the invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is an exploded view of a plasterer's trowel embodying the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the trowel, and Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 in Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawings, the plasterer's trowel there illustrated includes three main parts, that is to say a steel blade element 10, a metal reinforcement element 12 and a synthetic plastics handle generally indicated 14.

As shown in Figure 1, the steel blade element 10, which is of rectangular shape, has a plurality of upstanding metal studs 16 welded to it along a line equidistant from its two longitudinal edges. The studs are screwthreaded studs. The thickness of the steel blade element is such that, until united with the handle and reinforcement element it is fairly flexible.

The metal reinforcement element 12 is of channel section and is provided with a plurality of holes 18 at the same spacing as the studs 16. The element has been made from a length of extruded aluminium channel section material.

The synthetic plastics handle 14 is a plastics moulding incorporating a grip part 20 connected at its opposite ends to an enlongate adaptor part 22 to which the blade element is to be secured. As shown in Figure 1, the interior of the elongate adaptor part of the handle is hollow except that at intervals along its length there are formed within it integral sleeve elements 24 which provide holes 26 spaced apart at the spacing of the studs 16 of the blade element. The major length of the adaptor part of the handle is a snug sliding fit between the upstanding side flanges of the channel section reinforcement element.However, at the opposite ends of said adaptor part there are integral formations 28 which coincide with the overall width dimension of the channel section reinforcement element and which in the finished trowel serve to neatly "round off" the opposite ends of the adaptor part.

When the three main parts of the trowel are assembled together, the steel blade element is united with the synthetic plastics handle, with the metal reinforcement element sandwiched between them, by the force fitting of the studs 16 into the holes 26 of said plastics handle. Since the studs are an interference fit in the holes, and due also to the fact that the studs are screwthreaded, the force fitting of the studs into said holes secures the three parts together very tightly indeed.

Thus there is provided a plasterer's trowel which is of neat appearance and which by virtue of its plastics handle is comfortable to the touch. In addition, by virtue of the fact that the metal reinforcement element is relatively stiff, it maintains the metal blade element in flat condition throughout the life of the trowel.

Various modifications may be made. For example, the number and spacing of the studs which are welded to the metal blade element may be varied according to the length of said blade element. The appropriate spacing of adjacent studs is thought to be between 40m.m. and 50m.m. but may lie outside this range. The spacing of the studs may well vary along the length of the blade and may be such that the handle can only be united with the blade in one position (and not in the reversed position).

It will be understood that it is convenient to use screwthreaded studs because the screwthreads bite into the plastics material of the handle when the blade and handle are force fitted together.

However, other forms of stud may be used to produce the required locking action preventing the component parts working loose when the trowel is in use.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method of making a plasterer's trowel, the method including the steps of welding a plurality of upstanding studs at controlled spacing on one side of a steel blade element; the moulding of a plastics handle with a plurality of holes at the spacing of the studs; the forming of a metal reinforcement element with clearance holes for said studs at the spacing of said studs; and the uniting of the steel blade element with the synthetic plastics handle, with the metal reinforcement element sandwiched between them, by the force fitting of the studs into the holes of said plastics handle.

2. A plasterer's trowel including a steel blade element, a metal reinforcement element and a synthetic plastics handle, the steel blade element having a plurality of upstanding metal studs welded to it and the plastics handle being formed with a series of holes matching the spacing of the studs of the blade element, the steel blade element having been united with the synthetic plastics handle, with the metal reinforcment element sandwiched between them, by the studs having been force fitted into the holes of said handle.

3. A plasterer's trowel according to claim 2, in which the metal reinforcement element has been made from a length of extruded channel section material and a savor length of an adaptor part of the handle is a snug fit between the upstanding side flanges of the channel section.

4. A plasterer's trowel according to claim 3, in which at the opposite ends of the adaptor part of the handle there are integral formations which coincide with the overall width dimension of the channel section reinforcement element.

5. A method of making a plasterer's trowel, substantially as hereinbefore described.

6. A plasterer's trowel constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.